India's Aviation Minister to examine claims that Air India has withdrawn from 32 profitable routes

India's Civil Aviation Minister Valayar Ravi declined to elaborate on allegations by unions that profitable routes of Air India have been given away to the benefit of private and international competitors (PTI, 20-Feb-2011). He however assured unions that he would look into the issue and take necessary measures. It has been reported that Air India has withdrawn from at least 32 profitable routes since late 2009 giving a distinct advantage to competitors. Of these 32 routes, Jet Airways was operating on 11 routes and Kingfisher on six, while IndiGo and SpiceJet had also launched services to these destinations. Other airlines which are operating services on these sectors include Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, Qatar Airways, Oman Air and Bahrain Air.